How to manage difficult conversations with wedding guests due to COVID
Image: Josh Ball Images
As I mentioned last week, planning a wedding can be stressful, hard and very overwhelming - even without the added anxiety of a global pandemic, restrictions and possible postponements or cancellations!
Changes to your wedding plans mean you’re now having to have a few difficult conversations with guests and/or vendors, or there’s certain requirements in place that you need to communicate to guests and vendors.
Whatever the case, I’ve done a bit of research on possible conversations you may need to have (vaccination status, venue limits and requirements, testing before the wedding) and have created and collated a few scripts for you to use.
These can be used as great starting points for your conversations and adapted to suit your overall messaging. It’s your wedding day, so however you’re communicating, do it your way!
If these are conversations you are having to have ahead of your wedding day - and they’re proving to be more difficult than anticipated - I’m so sorry and hope the below paragraphs relieve a little stress in your planning right now.
Vaccination status for wedding guests
Asking your guests for their vaccination status can be a sensitive topic and any conversation that involves talking Covid/mandates/restrictions needs to be treated respectfully and considerately.
Most venues in Perth + WA now require all guests to be fully vaccinated to enter the premises, so communicating this to guests is important.
This information should be included on your wedding website (if you have one) or by including an extra information card with your wedding invitations - if you haven’t already sent them out. A text or email, highlighting necessary information is also very helpful and effective.
Sample text:
“We’ve been counting down to this day for a while now (after a few near-misses!) and we’re so excited to finally share this day and celebrate our love with our nearest and dearest.
In line with the State Government mandates, you must be fully vaccinated to enter [insert wedding venue here]. Staff at the venue will be checking vaccination certificates on arrival, so please bring these with you (if they’re not on your phone). You will also need to follow mandates on mask-wearing, eating and drinking, and dancing throughout the day.
We would appreciate it if you could only RSVP to attend if you will be fully vaccinated by the date of our wedding.
We also understand if this means you’d rather not attend our wedding day, and we look forward to celebrating with you when we get the chance!”
If you do have guests that aren’t vaccinated and they aren’t able to attend your wedding day, make sure to send lots of compassion and love their way. If unvaccinated, there are things they are probably missing out on at the moment and no one likes being left out!
Let them know you’re sad they won’t be able to attend in person and that you’d love to celebrate with them at a later date. Live-streaming your day for any guests that can’t attend (whether unvaccinated or outside of WA) is also a great way to keep your loved ones included on the day.
Vaccination status for wedding vendors
As mentioned above, most venues in Perth + WA now require all guests to be fully vaccinated to enter the premises, and your vendors will be well across this by now.
Due to these mandates, you may not need to ask your vendors for their vaccination status, as they will surely inform you if they cannot attend the venue themselves for your day. If they aren’t vaccinated and can’t attend, having a conversation with them to find a suitable solution should be done in the weeks leading up to your wedding day.
How to tell your guests your wedding is postponed
There’s a few ways you can let your guests know that your original wedding date has been affected by COVID. If you have already sent your invitations, you could send a change of date card in the mail - or keep it simple by sending a text or email.
Sample text:
“Due to the situation surrounding state borders and the global, we’ve made the incredibly tough decision to postpone our wedding to a later date.
Our new wedding date is [insert new date here].
All other details will stay the same and we’ll be in touch closer to the time to keep you informed of our arrangements.
We hope you’ll still be able to join us on our special day and look forward to celebrating with you then!”
How to uninvite guests
I also mentioned last week that we’re still waiting on further clarification on when borders may be open and that currently there are no restrictions for weddings in place.
If we do see some sort of restrictions being announced and introduced in the near future, it may be a possibility that you need to cut your guest list down - especially if venue limits and density rules come into effect.
If you are going to need to cut your guest list - I’m so sorry and my heart goes out to you. This is an incredibly tough decision to make and such a horrible position to have to be in. As tough as it is, your guests will, of course, understand that this was out of your control, and to go ahead with your wedding day, you really had no choice.
This is a conversation that needs to happen over the phone or in person at the very least - so you can explain the situation and details as soon as possible. A message or email does work too, but it’s probably better if they hear it from you personally.
Sample text/script:
“We’ve been working hard at navigating planning a wedding during these uncertain times, and it’s been a little crazy! In line with new restrictions and regulations, we now have to reduce our guest list in order for our wedding day to go ahead.
This means that unfortunately, we’ve decided to turn our celebration into a more intimate affair and means we won’t be able to share the day with you. We hope you understand the difficult position we’ve been put in and can’t wait to celebrate with you at a later date!
We will be live-streaming the ceremony so please let us know if you’d like the details for this so you can join our other loved ones in celebrating from afar.”
Asking guests to take a rapid antigen test prior to your wedding
For added peace of mind, and for the safety of older or more vulnerable guests, you may want to consider asking your guests to take a rapid antigen test a few hours before your wedding. This will help eliminate any spread of Covid, should any of your guests have been exposed, and also helps to stop a super spreader event.
It’s also a great idea to ask your guests to stay home if they are feeling under the weather, rather than push through to attend your special day.
This message should be sent before your venue requires final guest numbers, so you can get an idea of attendees in case of any RSVP changes.
Sample text:
“While we hate that we have to send this message out right now, we thought we’d let you know where we’re at in the lead up to our wedding day.
Should government regulations remain as they are, our intention is to go ahead as planned.
Safety is our top priority and so, we’re politely requesting that all guests take a rapid antigen test a few hours before the ceremony.
We know these times are scary and tough and completely understand if you no longer feel comfortable attending our day under the current circumstances.
We are confirming final numbers with the venue by [insert date here], and so we just ask you to let us know as soon as possible if you’d like to change your RSVP.
We respect whatever decision you make and we’re excited to celebrate our love with you one way or another.”
I hope these scripts help you with any difficult conversations you may have to have! Send me a message if you have any questions or if you think I’ve missed anything out.
And if there’s something you’re struggling with as you navigate your wedding planning , please reach out! I’m more than happy to chat through any reservations or questions you may have about guidelines and restrictions here in WA.
Sending you all the love and positive vibes during this time! You’re killing it, babe 😍
Messaging inspo courtesy of Easy Weddings + Wedshed